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BrewDog Opens First U.S. Location in Columbus, OH

The Scotland-based brewery BrewDog is best known in America for their owners, James Watt and Martin Dickie, self-titled Esquire Network show that aired for two seasons. Their beers like Punk IPA, Hardcore IPA and 5am Saint could be find sporadically in the U.S.

That’s all changing with this week’s opening of their first production facility and bar in Columbus. The BrewDog bars can be found all across the United Kingdom (30 bars) and internationally in Hong Kong, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Poland, Norway, Germany, Finland, Brazil and Japan. The BrewDogs at Clapham Common and Shoreditch were my mobile office when I was staying there.

The first U.S. location gained a bit of press when Watt and Dickie offered employees a week of “paw”-ternity leave for new pet owners to “help settle a new furry family member into their home.”

Like most of the BrewDog bars, the Columbus location will have a full-service restaurant serving burgers, salads, pizzas, bar bites and sharing boards, retro arcade games and shuffleboard. The taps will have their own beers alongside other local offerings. Also, be prepared to get blotto with some of their high APV beers that go to 16.5%. I had their Tactical Nuclear Penguin which was 32% and almost made me hurl.

This gives travelers more of a reason to travel beyond Cleveland and Cincinatti to see what else Ohio has to offer. In fact, Columbus already touts 20 breweries in the city limits.

One thought on “BrewDog Opens First U.S. Location in Columbus, OH”

[…] Completing my loop around the South and heading back to HQ will be a couple of day trips. Louisville wasn’t on my radar as a place to stay, but there’s a couple of interesting things that make the Kentucky city worth a look in. Then, in Columbus, Ohio, I have to visit the new BrewDog U.S. headquarters. […]